To review ChatGPT memories, open Settings > Personalization > Memory. From there, inspect the memory summary or saved memories, correct information where editing is available, and delete both a saved memory and the chats or other sources containing the information if you want it removed comprehensively. These controls vary by plan, region, platform, and workspace, so the labels in your account may differ.
Where to find ChatGPT memory settings
- Open ChatGPT and select Settings.
- Choose Personalization.
- Open Memory.
Depending on your account, you may see controls such as Reference saved memories, Reference chat history, Memory summary, Manage, or Saved memories. OpenAI says feature availability varies by plan, region, platform, and workspace, so use the options actually shown in your settings. See OpenAI Help Center: Memory FAQ.
How to see what ChatGPT remembers
Look for a memory summary or a saved-memory list in the Memory settings. OpenAI describes the summary this way: “The memory summary is a high-level view of information that ChatGPT may use to personalize responses.” It may not show every remembered detail or identify the chat or other source where a detail came from. See OpenAI Help Center: Memory in ChatGPT.
You can also ask ChatGPT what it remembers, but treat the response as a useful check rather than a complete inventory. Review the memory controls directly if you need to manage or remove specific information.
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How to correct or edit a memory
If your account offers editing for a memory summary or saved memory, use that control to update the information. Some experiences let you enter a correction or highlight text to change it. If editing controls are not available, tell ChatGPT that a remembered detail is incorrect or outdated; availability and behavior depend on the memory experience. See OpenAI Help Center: Memory FAQ.
How to delete a ChatGPT memory completely
A saved memory and the conversation that supplied it are separate. Deleting one does not necessarily delete the other: removing a saved memory stops it from being used for future personalization, but the detail can remain in an old chat; deleting a chat does not necessarily remove a separately stored memory.
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- In Settings > Personalization > Memory, open the saved-memory controls, such as Manage or Saved memories, and delete the relevant memory. If your interface instead offers a memory summary, use the removal controls available there.
- Delete the chat where you shared the information. Check regular and archived chats, since the relevant conversation may not be in the main chat list.
- Check other places where the information may exist, including Library files and connected apps, and remove it from those sources as appropriate.
- Allow time for changes to propagate. Do not assume that deleting one item removes every copy or mention elsewhere.
OpenAI’s guidance explains that removal may require deleting both the saved memory and the chat in which the information was shared. See OpenAI Help Center: Memory FAQ.
What happens when you turn memory controls off?
| Control or action | Effect | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Turn off Memory | Disables the Memory feature. | Does not delete past chats or, by itself, erase information already present in them. |
| Turn off Reference chat history | OpenAI says information remembered from past chats is scheduled for deletion within 30 days. | Does not delete the original chats; delete those separately if you want them removed. |
| Delete a saved memory | Stops that saved item from being used in future personalization. | Does not erase mentions in past chats or other sources. |
OpenAI may retain logs of deleted saved memories for up to 30 days for safety and debugging. These controls and retention details are described in OpenAI Help Center: Memory FAQ.
How saved memories, chat history, and Temporary Chat differ
| Information source | Can it personalize responses? | Stored separately? | What to remove it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saved memories | Yes, when Memory is enabled. | Yes; they are distinct from the chats that supplied them. | Delete the saved memory, and delete relevant source chats or other copies separately. |
| Reference to chat history | Yes, when the control is enabled; ChatGPT may draw on past conversations. | Original chats remain as chats. Turning off the control schedules remembered information derived from them for deletion within 30 days. | Turn off Reference chat history to schedule deletion of derived remembered information; delete original chats separately. |
| Chats, files, and connected apps | They can supply information used for personalization, depending on enabled features and connections. | They remain in their respective locations and are not necessarily removed when a memory is deleted. | Delete or remove the relevant chat, file, or connected-app information at its source. |
| Temporary Chat | It does not create or update memories. If started as personalized, it can use existing memories; an unpersonalized Temporary Chat does not use memory or custom instructions. | It is a separate chat mode, not a deletion control for existing memories. | Choose Temporary Chat when starting the conversation; the personalization choice cannot be changed after the chat starts. |
OpenAI’s descriptions of these controls are in the Memory FAQ and its Temporary Chat FAQ.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When to use Temporary Chat
Choose Temporary Chat before beginning a conversation when you do not want it to create or update memories. At the start, you can choose whether the temporary conversation is personalized: a personalized Temporary Chat may use existing memories, while an unpersonalized one does not use memory or custom instructions. You cannot change that choice after the chat begins. Temporary Chat is not a way to erase memories already saved. See OpenAI Help Center: Temporary Chat FAQ.
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